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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. capital — a city
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — in a road
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — the cause
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. capital — money
  22. root — of a word
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com